Posts taggedSigiriya

Sri Lanka

They Love Americans

Landing in Sri Lanka, Jessica and I were greeted with (in Ayubūvan), “May you live long.” The greeting was warm and friendly from people who genuinely like Americans, even though there are not many who visit this tropical island in the Indian Ocean…yet!

Colombo to Kalutara

Dog tired, but filled with excitement, we drove from the airport to Colombo. The main city was filled with bustling and lively crowded streets, along with a multi ethnic populace of Hindu, Buddhism and Muslim culture. This history dates to over 3,000 years back. The sights and sounds were exotic with a mixture of modern life and colonial ruin. The English and Dutch architecture is still very much evident, and quite impressive.

Exhausted, we found our way to the guest house in Kalutara and fell asleep without dinner. Invigorated and ravishingly hungry, we were awaken the next morning with smells of one of the most delicious and memorable breakfasts––traditional Sri Lankan pancakes made from local, fresh coconut milk and rice flour. Soon after, we met up with our trusted guide, colleague, and friend, Aroush who is a native Sri Lankan, now living in Florida. Off we went into the Sri Lankan back country!

Temples and Elephant Orphanages

There was so much to do, experience, and absorb. Our travels took us to the southwestern tip of the island, Galle, a major city. It had magnificent Dutch-colonial buildings and beaches. Kandy was the next stop with marveled us with its ministries, temples, elephant orphanage, and lakes. We forged onto Sigiriya next. Its unforgettable ruins of an ancient civilization, sitting on top of a rocky outcrop, with vertical walls that soar nearly above the clouds were breathtaking. We were in another universe, discovering magnificent salvage finds along the way.